You may just know of Mark Ronson as the artist who released “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars. In reality, he’s much more prolific and influential. He has been a key figure behind the scenes of pop music and its evolutions for over two decades.
Some of his other achievements include producing Amy Winehouse’s award-winning “Back to Black” (which won him a Grammy) and co-writing “Shallow” from “A Star is Born” He’s worked with a who’s-who of artists, including Adele, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and even Duran Duran.
Mark Ronson is a producer and DJ with a unique and recognizable style. I’ll break down how to produce music like Mark Ronson in this series.
Create Contrast
Mark Ronson got his start as a DJ, so his songs are usually driven by the beat. One of his signature approaches is to contrast his upbeat instrumentals with deep, and even melancholy vocals.
He says: “having a dance beat and a relentlessly upbeat song is kind of fun, but then you’ve got everything firing in the same direction. I like the rub between the upbeat rhythm section and the longing in the vocal.”
Driving Beats and Soulful Vocals
The combination of driving beat and soulful vocals creates a rewarding experience. The longing in the vocals makes the music sound deep and emotional, so listeners can instantly connect with it. But the beat always stays fun and lively, so it’s enjoyable even if you just hear it in the background. You get hooked by the energy, and then the emotion makes you dive deeper.
Example: Silk City – Electricity (ft Dua Lipa)
Mark Ronson really shines as a producer. A good producer is essentially taking care of everything except the topline. They leave the melody and lyrics to the singer, and create the entire instrumental to support and enhance the topline. They create the musical “stage” that the singer is performing on.
Be Dynamic, Be Bold
A song’s verse typically has a lower energy level, so when the high-energy chorus comes along, it’s satisfying. It feels like you have “arrived”. Most producers have a minimal instrumental in the verse, gradually layering more and more elements on top to get to the chorus.
Mark Ronson isn’t afraid to make big sonic changes in a new section. His arrangements are bold and dynamic. When a song moves to a new section, instead of just adding to the beat and building on it, he might replace it with a completely new beat.
He doesn’t just keep the same drum sounds, either. He might keep some, or his new beat might have totally new samples.
Don’t Just Add. Subtract and Replace Too
Mark Ronson doesn’t just add new layers to create a new section. He also subtracts or replaces layers. New keyboard sounds, new rhythms, new instruments. When you hear an exciting new sound, you don’t notice that some sounds from the last section are now gone. That creates room to let the new sounds shine.
Example: Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk (ft Bruno Mars)
Mark Ronson puts the soul of the music at the forefront. Moreover, continued collaborations with great musicians ensure that he’s always growing as a producer.
Put Some Soul In It
Mark Ronson’s music isn’t just aimed at popularity. The soul of the music comes first. Everything has to support the soul of the music.
He often makes beats using MIDI or drum machines for the percussion, but likes to play all the other parts live. He says: “I do all the programmed beats on an Akai MPC3000, the hip-hop standard. Then I dump them into Pro Tools and just play everything live on top. I don’t really use any MIDI because I prefer playing.”
Playing the parts live creates more soulful, natural music. It combines the clean, modern sound with an old-school, “human” feeling.
Collaborate
Mark Ronson knows he’s a great producer. But he’s always trying to learn from other musicians too. He talks a lot about other great artists, and what he has learned from them.
If he thinks another artist is better than he is at something, he reaches out to collaborate with them. Then, they can create something together that’s better than what they could have done alone.
Mark Ronson says: “you find someone you just vibe with[…] it’s gotta be someone you know will make you excited.[…] not just saying yes to someone because they’re big or I like what they do, or I’m worried that I might never get another shot to work with them.”
Mark Ronson is one of the most effective and trailblazing producers of his era. He always sounds fresh, yet he is always referencing older music. So his music always sounds familiar, yet new. No wonder he is so influential. Would we have had Adele without his work with Amy Winehouse? Would we have had Happy or Can’t Stop the Feeling, without his tracks like Uptown Funk? He sets the tone so that other artists can follow.
Here are some tips to write and produce music using Mark Ronson’s unique techniques:
Combine Old and New Production Techniques
Mark Ronson is perhaps most famous for the way he combines the old and the new. He loves to take older styles of music and put them in a new context. That way, you hear something familiar in a way you’ve never heard it before.
For example, he might take a jazzy drum pattern with a vintage recording sound, and then run it through a filter to warp it. Or he might take an old-school funky electric piano rhythm, and combine it with modern hip hop-influenced bass and percussion.
Quote: “Like any great innovation in music, usually, the good stuff comes when people start to use [technology] in the wrong way.”
Examples: Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (ft Miley Cyrus)
Use Contrasting Sounds
Mark Ronson always makes sure there’s interesting contrast going on in his instrumentals. He tries to avoid things sounding too similar.
If one instrument sound is clean and pure, he will include another instrument with vintage distortion. If some sounds are energetic and exciting, he will make another instrument track sound sad and melancholy. If some sounds are sharp, others will be smooth. You get the point.
Example: Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good.
Mark Ronson has a very identifiable sound. You might not always know right away that you’re listening to a track he produced. But when you check and see, you’ll never be surprised.
Lean Into Your Identity
Mark Ronson believes that knowing your own creative voice is very important. He thinks you shouldn’t just try to do things because they’re popular at the time. Focus on the influences that you like. Create your own artistic voice that’s completely unique.
Quote: “If you’re a producer and you wanna make beats and develop a sound, the most important thing is to find your own voice as opposed to trying to copy trends.”
Find Your Scene
You should never try to change your style just to follow trends. Instead, once you’ve figured out your style, you should try to find the scene that you fit into. You’ll be more successful as the best version of your own style, rather than a bad imitation of someone else’s.
Quote: “I’m never gonna be as big as [some producers], my music just isn’t modern in a zeitgeist-y way[… my music] does have this slightly classic shade to it, and still has kids wanting to sing it.”
Example: Mark Ronson – In Case Of Fire (ft Jeff Bhasker)
Always Stay Curious, Always Be Learning
Mark Ronson is always trying new things, and admiring other musicians who do things he can’t do. He seeks out other artists to collaborate with, because they inspire him and he wants to learn from them.
Quotes: “I’m always gonna be moved by an incredible guitar player like Tommy Brenneck from the Dap-Kings[…] I sit in the studio with people like Kevin Parker and Diplo and I see them doing things and tweaking this drum sound so the kick drum sounds immense. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I want to be able to do that too.'”
Listening to Music is Part of Producing
Mark Ronson is a pop music expert. He listens to music obsessively, and listens closely for ideas and techniques.He knows the importance of actively listening to your favorite music, and exposing yourself to lots of new sounds. That way, you can avoid being in your own echo chamber. Most people think listening to music is just a way to relax, but it’s an important part of work when you produce music. Quote: “I started out in my bedroom by myself, so the advice [I got] all came from the people that I listened to, like Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, DJ Premier, Tribe, all that stuff”
